


A Coffee Shop in Candles

by klfette



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Magic, Nonbinary Character, POV Outsider, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 21:51:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20104171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klfette/pseuds/klfette
Summary: Ok so like me and my buddy were talking about like. Being cryptids to a small community and like doing weird magic stuff and I ended up writing some stuff for it and I'm just storing it here cause I spent a lot of time on this.Disclaimer: it's not very good





	1. Chapter 1

Nobody is exactly sure how long B and N Coffee has been in my oceanside town of Candles, Oregon. It's been there for as long as I can remember.

My parents too, don't remember a time when Candles lacked its coffee shop. This holds true for pretty much everyone you ask. It's a fixture of the town.

Being such an old shop, it does have it's fair share of rumors. Some say that it's had the same owners for 20, 50, 100 years. Some argue that it's run by witches, or angels, or members of the fae. And others yet say that the shop itself is magical.

I don't know how much stock I put in these rumors, but the place definitely is strange.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the one I spent way too long on

My mom was the one that told to go to Candles.

"Catherine," she said, "if you want to keep that kitten of yours, there's one last thing to try."

Understandably, I was confused. My cat, Mouse, had a large and inoperable brain tumor, and the vets said the best option was to put him down. He couldn't even walk anymore. "What do you mean?"

"You know the little town we visit in the summers? There's a, ah, shop there. They might be able to help."

"Like, a veterinarian?"

"Not exactly. It's a little cottage. Just out of town. It says 'coffee' above the door, but trust me, bring Mouse in. They'll be able to help."

The whole thing sounded suspect to me, but seeing as how I didn't have work for another couple days, and Candles was only an hour's drive, I went anyway. I ended up in a mostly empty parking lot, with a sign in the corner that said "To B and N Coffee" with an arrow pointing to a well-tread path.

I scooped up Mouse in my arms and began hiking. 

The cottage sat almost near the edge of the cliff, almost precariously. It was made of a light grey brick with a wooden roof painted electric green. Metal letters above the door spelled out "COFFEE". 

I stepped in, greeted by the scent of cinnamon, chocolate, and freshly roasted coffee beans. The room was pale cream, a few tables here and there. Two cushy fabric chairs sat in front of a currently unlit old-fashioned fireplace. A large black cat sat curled up in one of them. Three or four people sat scattered around the room, sipping out of ceramic mugs. The whole room radiated warmth, and comfort, and home. It was the sort of place I felt I could spent countless hours, engrossed in a good book. 

On the far side of the room there was a counter with a coffee machine and a cash register. A chalkboard read "TODAY'S COOKIES: Mexican Chocolate". I nervously approached the counter, and as I got closer, a wooden door swung open behind it.

A heavy-set figure stepped into the room, a smile on their face. They were blond, and almost unnaturally pale, with a black shirt and pants underneath a checkerboard apron with a nametag reading "Norton". Most striking was their eyes- bright blue, with pupils that seemed to be clouded over. I had no idea how old this "Norton" was, as they had an ageless sort of quality to them. Mid twenties? Fifties? Twelve? There was no way to tell.

"Hey, welcome!" Norton's voice was deep and high at the same time. They dragged out their words in an almost awkward way.

"Um, hi, I'm sorry to bother you-" I started.

Norton noticed the sickly looking animal in my arms and gasped. "Aw, lil man," they interrupted.

"Ah, yeah, he's sick, I was told that you could help here, I mean, I don't know. Sorry."

"Oh yeah, of course dude! This isn't my thing, so just gimme a sec." They looked over their shoulder. "Ben!" They shouted. "C'mere!"

The door opened again, and another person came out. They were lanky, a few inches taller than Norton, with limbs that were just a bit too long.

Ben had dark brown hair, and light olive skin spattered with hundreds of freckles. Unlike Norton, who seemed as though the concept of gender didn't even apply, they looked like they could be a boy, or a girl, or something else entirely. They, too, had unusual eyes, their irises so dark that it was as if the pupil had grown to overtake it. Their apron, a dark teal, was splashed with flour.

"What's up?"

"Oh, my cat, Mouse, he's, um, not feeling well."

Ben looked at Mouse, a gentle smile on their face. "Of course! I'd love to help out."

They hopped over the counter without an ounce of grace, a mess of limbs. "Hey, baby," they cooed.

Mouse lifted his head an responded with a weak meow. 

"Oh, I know, it's rough." Ben opened their arms. "Can I hold him?"

"Yeah, sure." I relinquished Mouse to Ben.

"What a good boy." They bounced him, holding him like a baby. Ben gently stroked his face as they murmured to him. 

Mouse purred, and then gave a soft meow.

"I know honey, it hurts. It's okay. I'll fix it." Ben kissed the top of his head. "Don't worry. It's okay."

I watched awkwardly, wringing my hands. How were they going to fix a tumor? It just didn't seem possible.

"Here." Ben handed Mouse back over to me.

"Um, sure. Sorry, but how are you going to help him? He's got-"

"A brain tumor, yeah. Don't worry about it." Ben hopped back over the counter. "He'll be fine."

A surge of anger flew through my chest. "Is that it? You didn't do anything!"

Ben looked confused. "Uh, yeah I did."

"No! We're supposed to put him down tomorrow and this was my last hope! And what do you do? Cuddle him and pretend he's cured? That's not how it works!" I couldn't help but to raise my voice a bit. I could feel the other customers' attentions being drawn to me, and I shifted uncomfortably.

Ben stared at me blankly.

"Oh!" Norton gasped. "I don't think she knows what we do." They whispered to Ben.

"Oh." Ben said.

I turned out, storming out of the store.  
Behind me, I heard Ben shout, "Come back some other time!"

"And bring some of your mom's pot roast!" Norton added as the door slammed behind me.

Tears welled in my eyes as I began the hike back to my car.

The next day, I woke up to Mouse's tongue rasping across my face. I opened my eyes to my cat standing on my bed. He meowed loudly, the same way he used to before he got sick. 

I raised a hand and he headbutt it and rubbed his face against it.

I sat up, shocked.

From then on, Mouse was back to his old self. He ate, walked, and even played like he had before the tumor. He wasn't in pain anymore.

The vet had no explanation. He ordered another brain scan, and it was like the tumor had never been there in the first place. Not even evidence of scarring. 

The vet shrugged, baffled. Maybe he was misdiagnosed, he said, or else it was a miracle.

I wasn't sure what to make of it. I was glad to have my companion back in top shape, sure, but it didn't sit right. 

Mostly I just felt like I had reacted wrong at the coffee shop.


End file.
